T-Mobile welcomes iPhone 5

T-Moblie has finally decided to sell the popular new smart phone on the market; the infamous iPhone 5… These new no-contract plans will start April 12th, and offer special deals when you purchase one of these apple products. 

Image from USAToday (Photo: Kin Cheung, AP)

Customers can pre-order the phone starting on April 5th.

But what will this do to the T-Mobile Company? This could be an important move for the company as a whole, especially in regards to competing services like Version and At&T. Both of these companies always relsease the latest and greatest smart phones first, which probably means all the tech nerds are customers to these services. This iPhone 5 will not only have an influence over T-Mobile but also the apple industry. If another company is investing and buying products from the company than it will only increase its power and stock. T-Mobiles decision to incorperate this smartphone not only effects its own business but also the sucess of other smartphone creators.

 

Canons New Toys

Canon recently announced they will be coming out with 3 new cameras, one of these includes the companies lightest and smallest ever created. The new cameras include the EOS Rebel SL1, SX280 HS, and the Rebel T5i. USA Today posted a review site that helps explains the updates and exciting new features each of these tech toys brings to the market. 

EOS Rebel SL1

SX280 HS

For a college student these camera a pretty pricey and have the tendency to experience frequent drops and other damage by the owner. But for any one who may be going abroad next semester I would recommend looking into purchasing one of these. The cameras are all very compact and light weight, which is perfect for walking around and sightseeing purposes. The SX280 HS also is said to have a travel zoom which would be perfect to capture the many adventures you will experience away from home. 

EOS Rebel T4i

 

 

State Percentage of Households with 7 or 8 Members

Research Question: Why do some states have a larger percentage of households with 7 or 8 members than others?

The percent of households with 7 or 8 members changes dramatically according to state. There are many explanations and possibilities for the larger number of households in a specific region of the country. After collecting extensive data from DataFerrett.com and finding shapefiles for a map of the United States, I developed a new understanding of the states where these trends are more prevalent.

After combining this information in an Excel spreadsheet and calculating the percentage I uploaded this information into ArcMap. The map below uses this data of the United States from 2010 to explain the trend of these households according to region.

The map of the United States proves Texas and many of its surrounding states tend to follow this trend, along with a line of states in the Midwest region. On the other hand California, Georgia, Washington, and Connecticut stand alone in relation to neighboring states within this category. Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are omitted in the image because they indicated having a zero percentage of house holds with 7 or 8 members, therefore the information did not help explain the pattern.

Further research on the web indicates state population and relationship status are the two biggest influences on household sizes.  Other sub-factors included income level, religion, cultural background, and upbringing. These patterns seen in specific areas of the United States prove people of specific cultures and backgrounds inhabit the dark states on the map. The Households and Families: 2010 Census helped explain the reason for these trends and the strong relation it has too population size.

The insight and knowledge I developed from this visualization project and exploring my research question presents a story about the various areas and regions of our country. The states highlighted above are an interesting display of citizens with specific characteristic, which influence the amount of household members.

Spotify vs. Rdio

I recently downloaded the free Spotify software and enjoy the system, but after reading about Rdio I might think twice before upgrading to Spotify Premium. The New York Times highlights in its article released March 20th that the Spotify interface is to boring and lacks the visual attractiveness needed for real success. I agree, it almost looks outdated and neglects to show off the album covers and artistic design that would attract many other users. The Rdio application and program is said to take advantage of these aspects  catching the eyes of many prospective users. The visual focus proves that a programs design is highly important even if the software is flawless a very important concern is how pleasing the system is to the eye. After reading this article I will be conducting some serious research before making an investment to Spotify, especially if their are programs like Rdio that are simpler and more attractive.

Converting Made Easy

 

Studying abroad next semester and worried about getting accustom to dollar to euros, or even distance measurements? Well worry no more for only $0.99 you can get a savvy app that can provide you with the conversions you need. USAToday article, published earlier today, offers the the details about this app that makes these calculations at the blink of an eye with incredible ease. The design allows for users to hop back and switch categories, comparing conversions among countless amounts of measurements. So no matter what the countries standard measurements maybe, you will be sure to understand the conversion. This could also help in every day activities, some of which include cooking recipes. The conversion app will definitely be a popular use of technology since there was no simple and comprehensive piece of technology that provided this feature. 

 

Almost Famous?

Looking to gain a little bit of fame? Well on the internet…. Buzzfeed offers a few ways you can improve your popularity in the world of Twitter and gain a few more followers. First, they said you need to have a voice like Lady Gaga for example, that shows you actually “care” about your followers lives. Next they recommend to follow people who would be likely to follow you back, but also interact with these people without being annoying. Promoting people you like without expecting anything in return is another important aspect in getting people to actually like you… The last tip I found most helpful was be timely but not over obsessive over the account, because too much content will encourage people to skip right over your tweet. So now I just have to ask the question…… Is it healthy we try to get people to like us on the internet in return feel some sort of joy? Should an increasing number of followers give us a sense of confidence. Is this a healthy thing to rely on? Is it a stable place to look for security or personal worth? On the other hand it could be similar to people enjoying your work, like a paper or piece of art? Our changing society and role as individuals online continues to amaze me… Are we changing and evolving for the better or the worse?

Lime Wire in the Lime Light…

Walt Disney Co. along with other movie and TV studios recently target Lime Wire as an illegal website that allows users to download shows and films without payment. Bloomberg highlights in an Article published October 9th, 2012 all of the other issues Lime Wire is being accused of creating regarding their copyright properties. With the current technology so many are available to at the click of a button, it seems so easy to copy right material with out even noticing. Lime Wire is not included with this absent minded infringement though… There site blatantly steals the work of so many other artists and creators and provides them to the public. Founder Mike Gorton should definitely be brought to court. People and teams work too hard for there work to be stolen or miss used by millions. 

Credibility with Social Media

How do we really know if someone online is actually the person they claim to be? This has been an even bigger question with the increasing popularity of social media sites like Instagram. Earlier this week Vogue Italia was having issues with people creating fake accounts and uploading photos with the name of Vogue Italia when they were not linked with the company. As a result the branch decided to create their own account and specified the name to ensure this issue does not come up again. Vogue’s overall goal in using this social media site, aims to provide followers with a window into the universe of Vogue Italia. How exactly do we know an account or user is official? How can we trust that person on the other side? This example in particular shows the best way must be to verify with a little extra research if you must rely on this source.

Pinterest influencing sites like PopSugar?

 

PopSugar, a popular site for fashion obsessed gals is getting a serious makeover that reminds me of another site…. PopSugar claims it need to vamp up the blog and upgrade from the dated blog style. There new layout is picture heavy and includes bold headlines. Have we come to the conclusion that just maybe viewers don’t have the patience or attention span for reading. Instead, is the only thing we actually care about include visual art? Maybe our minds are evolving to the technological advancements, creating both more simple and clear products. NYTimes Bits section talks about the page and provides some comments from Mr. Sugar himself. But look at me even I had a challenging time reading this post… All I really wanted to look at were the pictures at the top of the page…. I preach it, but even I am guilty to this attention ADD non sense….. 

The Oscars….. Far more than a show viewers just watch!

The 85th Annual Oscars will not go unnoticed this year in the world of social media…. ABC.com highlights just a few of the apps will keep you updated on absolutely everything. The Official Oscar app in particular includes more than a dozen video streams so you can follow along, of course with the camera of your choice. Other apps recommend include IMDB, ZEEBOX, Guess the Movie, and E! Live from the Red Carpet. With such a heavy focus on social media we can ask the question, “Is social media changing the way we watch programs?” We have transformed shows and other features on cable into an interactive experience, involving tweets, and allowing the world to share opinions about the live event. Just watching a show isn’t enough. In order to both attract and hold the attention of viewers, organizations like ABC have to promote activities around there event. So, if all of this is happening so quickly then whats to come next…..?